Western Tanager--Sunny!

The denouement to a marvelous birding tour! Very early on our last morning, in Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park near our hotel, we had this male Western Tanager (Piranga ludoviciana), who really performed for us. He first appeared with his mate (less brilliantly colored), and then she somehow disappeared as he showed off. Blue sky had returned, after mostly clouds and occasional rain in the last three days.

Our week-long trip covered significant parts of Alberta and Saskatchewan in Canada, and this park was a fitting conclusion, straddling the two provinces in the their extreme south. We then headed for Calgary, to take an early flight tomorrow (to Massachusetts via Minneapolis).

If you'd like to review the week, start here. You'll find altogether six species of birds, and four mammals (one unfortunately dead).